Automobile-tire



I. Al` GRANT.

AUTOMOBILE TIRE.

APPLICATION men JAN. 15, 1920.

Patented Sept. 20.-, 1921.

JOHN AUDLEY GRANT, 0F ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

AUTOMOBILE-TIRE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 20, 1921.

Applica-tion filed January 15, 1920. Serial No. 351,725.

To all whom it may cof/wem: .Y

' `Be it known that I, JOHN GRANT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton, State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile-Tires, of which the following is a description, referenceV being had tothe accompanying drawing and to the figures of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates vto vpneumatic tires, and more particularly to that type in which the inner pneumatic tube is of smaller cross sectional area than the outer casing and is supported therein and protected from puncture by an intervening filling of yresilient material. j

In prior devices of this kind, it has been `customary to only partially surround theinner tube with this sustaining and protecting medium, that portion of the inner tube contiguous the lower side of the inner wall of 'the outer casing adjacent the bead being unsupported so as to provide air spaces between the inner tube and casing to relieve the sides of the latter of the usual side pressure of the inner tube against it in order to prevent blowouts from the side or rim of the casing, but such a construction is defective because the inner tube tends to bulge out into these so-called air spaces and becomes pinched and worn, resulting in blowouts.

One of the objects of this invention is to overcome this defect by spacing the inner tube from the casing at all points by means of a medium of yielding material completely surrounding the inner tube and occupying the space between it and the casing whereby the tube is resiliently supported and maintained in inflated position and is protected from puncture or rupture throughout its entire extent.

A further object consists in providing the pneumatic tube of this construction with an interior filling of yielding material, which acting ink combination with the air pressure or" the tube and the outer yielding sustaining medium provides a tire combining maximum resiliency with durability.

Still another object of this invention resides in providing suitable casings for this filling medium and constructing the same whereby the tube may be readily assembled within its protecting and sustaining envelop andbuter casing, and whereby the filling medium is'maintained in fixed position rel ative to the inner and outer elements of the tire.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

Referring more particularly to the drawigure l represents a cross sectional view of the improved tire, and

Fig. 2 is a partial sectional side view of the same.

In general, this invention embraces an kouter casing or shoe of the usual construction and an inner tube of substantially smaller cross sectional area arranged within the casing adjacent the bead thereof and spaced entirely from the inner walls of the casing. This space is filled with a suitable sustaining medium such as cotton, which provides an inclosing casing or envelop for the inner tube entirely surrounding the latter and bearing throughout its entire extent directly upon the inner and outer walls of the casing and inner tube respectively. In addition to this construction, the inner tube is provided with a cotton filler which, acting co-jointly with the air pressure in the pneumatic tube, maintains the resiliency of the tire, and which, in the event of a puncture off' this inner tube, provides a partial sustaining and cushioning member for the collapsed tube.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the tire consists of an outer casing l of the usual type and an inner pneumatic tube 2 arranged adjacent the bead 3 of the casing and similar in all respects to an ordinary ing and protecting medium of elastic material 4, such as cotton or linters.

As shown in Fig. l, this filler entirely encases the inner tube, providing at the bead portion of the casing a somewhat thin sustaining and protectin layer, which gradually increases in thiclness in the direction 'of the vcasing tread where it provides a maximum protection. The inner tube and outer casincr are separated from the cotton by layers of? canvas 5 and 6 which hold the cotton iii fixed relation to the tube and casing.

In certain cases where it is desirable to provide for the removal of the inner tube, the canvas layers and cotton filling are slit as at 7 to provide an annular opening just opposite one of the beads of the casing, the ends of the slitted portions lying Vflush against the inner wall of the bead when closed.

In addition to maintaining the inner tube inflated in the usual manner b y air pressure, it is provided with a filling of cotton 8 which not only serves to' prevent the rapid escape of the air when the tube is punctured by sealing the opening but which also provides a resilient cushion or support to hold the shape of the tube when the same tends to collapse when punctured.

By constructing a tire as above described, the inner tubeis sustained in inflated position throughout its entire surface since the cotton envelop spaces it from the walls of the easing and rim at all points, and there is no danger of puncture due to airspaces at the sides of the casing adjacent the beads nor i is there any chance of the inner tube becoming pinched or rubbed. Y l

The main thickness of the cotton filling being adjacent the tread, the maximum protection is afforded at this point and due 'to the peculiar impenetrability of compressed ters-Patent, is

In a tire, the combination of an outer casing, a'pneuma-tic inner tube ofsubstantially smaller cross sectional area than said casing arranged adjacent the bead thereof vand in spaced relation yto the inner walls of 'said casing, said inner tube having a sustaining,V

filling of cotton, a removable envelopv entirely inclosingv said inner tube, said envelop including Yinner and vouter canvas Vlinings adapted ,to snugly fit the innerj'and outer circumferentialwalls'of the tube land casing and provided with a sustaining and protect- '.in'g cotton filling to yieldably sustain the casing and to provide a protecting guard for ythe inner tube, said lining members and fill* ing being provided with a Vcircumferential slit for the removal' of the inner tube,` the ends of said slit abutting between thel inner tube andthe wall-of the bead to unbroken surface therebetween. ,Y

Intestimony whereof, I affix my signature. g i Y JOHN AUDLEYl GRANT.

provide an 

